The beat ‘em up genreis one of the oldest video game genres still kicking around in the modern day. With roots in arcade brawlers such asTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time, these games are often2D side-scrollersthat feature charming pixel-art graphics, co-operative play, and intuitive combo-based melee combat.
However, not all beat ‘em ups are 2D, especially in the modern era of video games. Nowadays, players have access to all kinds of beat ‘em up games, including some in 3D. From the brawling combat ofYakuza 0to the stylish hand-to-hand ofSifu,these are thebest 3D best ‘em upscurrently available.
6Die Hard Arcade
An Unhinged Old-School Beat ‘Em Up
This incredibly old-school but unfortunately inaccessible arcade beat ‘em up is a loose tie-in totheDie Hardfilm franchisewith a shockingly in-depth move-set that likens itself to fighting games of the time.Die Hard Arcadefeatures charminglow-poly 3D modelsand an overall look that’s incredibly nostalgic, and with the recent revival in low-poly modeling, this is unlikely to be a downside for many.
The gameplay mostly consists of brawling through a building occupied by a variety of goofy enemies with bad attitudes and surprising fighting skills. The game is divided into a series of rooms, interconnected by cinematic cutscenes that often feature quick-time events. Overall,Die Hard Arcadehas aged tremendously well thanks to its chaotic but manageable gameplay and competent brawling mechanics.
A cute, colorful, andhighly-stylized aestheticis just one ofGoing Under’sselling points, right alongside its humorous parody of tech startups and — most importantly — its scrappy beat ‘em up gameplay.Going Underis a 3D roguelike dungeon-crawler with combat that revolves around brawling, focusing on making use of the environment and the abundance of weapons within.
Everything inGoing Undercan be used as a weapon, within reason, and this is what makes its combat so frenetic and so enjoyable. Success relies on being scrappy and resourceful, rather than plotting out a strategic build, with players’ focus solely on taking out rooms full of aggressive enemies while taking as little damage as possible. This is especially so because every possible weapon inGoing Underhas a fixed durability and will eventually break, meaning that players cannot rely on one particularly strong weapon for an entire run.
Thishack-and-slash/beat ‘em up game is immediately reminiscent of Supergiant Games’ smash-hit,Hades, and although it looks and feels somewhat similar, the games are quite different.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fatetreads closer toward the beat ‘em up genre with its loose story and attention to tight, focused combat encounters and co-operative brawling.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fateis an accessible roguelite that captures the charm of its source material, providing players with a lighthearted, combat-focused experience. Its combat may not be hand-to-hand, but the focus on individual move-sets rather than a multitude of weapons ensuresSplintered Fatealways has the beat ‘em up genre at its heart.
Stylish and very much inspired byHong Kong cinema,Sleeping Dogsis a tremendous 3D beat ‘em up with a compelling narrative and open-world.Sleeping Dogsputs players in the role of an undercover cop fighting against crime in Hong Kong, and features chaotic hand-to-hand action that ensures each combat encounter is fast-paced and fun.
Sleeping Dogsalso features environmental takedowns that can be incredibly satisfying to execute during combat, adding an extra layer to each encounter and making combat even more visceral. Like theBatman Arkhamgames,Sleeping Dogscan sometimes devolve into straight-up button-mashing, but more often than not, players are rewarded for being intentional with their inputs.
2Midnight Fight Express
A Cinematic Isometric Indie Brawler
Cinematic style and fluid, intuitivehand-to-hand combatfrom an isometric perspective makeMidnight Fight Expressa frantic and combo-driven experience that’s highly reminiscent of classic action cinema. The game features a great deal of both melee and ranged weapons alike, but hand-to-hand combat remains the core strength ofMidnight Fight Express.
Lethal finishers and exaggerated combos based on martial arts makeMidnight Fight Expressa deeply visceral experience, and there’s plenty of variety to keep each encounter diverse. Despite strong art direction, combat is the be-all and end-all ofMidnight Fight Express, but it’s more than strong enough to carry the game by itself.
This third-person brawler is a highly stylish and wholly cinematic experience with expert art direction that makes it easy to get immersed in the action. However, despite the art direction being so memorable,Sifu’scinematic beat ‘em up combat is arguably its greatest strength.
For fans of kung-fu films and the hand-to-hand sequences of movies such asJohn Wick,Sifuis as close to a video game adaptation as players are likely to find. Compared to fully-fledged fighting games,Sifuis relatively simplistic, but the combos are diverse enough to provide players with a variety of strategies, especially as they acquire upgrades.Sifu’smost unique mechanic, however, is its age system, which has the protagonist age each time when they die, rather than losing the game outright. However, growing older can have other detrimental effects, such as decreasing their health.
